Page 117 of Catch Me
I pursed my lips and tried not to let his answer freak me out. He sat up, then pushed on my shoulder until I was lying on my back. Tentatively, he leaned down to kiss me. When his tongue touched mine, it was clear that he wasn’t sure how to feel about tasting himself, but he didn’t recoil.
“That’s not what I mean,” he said. “I don’t regret it. I’m just used to going straight into that cycle. The fact that it doesn’t feel wrong makes me think it’s wrong, you know?”
“I understand. Thank you for explaining it.”
He smiled—barely, but it was there. “What about you? Do you want me to...”
I took his chin between my fingers. “I’m good.”
“That’s not really fair.”
“It’s not about me right now. I’m not an uncontrollable, horny teenager.”
“Still.”
“Come on. I’m starving. I didn’t eat this morning because I was too busy worrying that you’d run out of your room and not stop until you were back in Chicago.”
I got to my feet, and he noticeably checked me out. With a wink, I grabbed my phone and strode to the door. The idea of cooking with him sparked joy, so that was the most important thing right now.
*****
After I got off my LIVE, I returned to the backyard and found Roman playing ball with Tessa. It was probably ridiculous that I found it so hot to watch him throwing it for her, but that little kernel of attachment had been growing since I first kissed him yesterday. It’d been an entire twenty-four hours and some change, we had a few make out sessions, I sucked his dick, we had breakfast together, and now I was at risk of becoming needy because he was throwing a baseball for my dog.
I saw his tablet on the deck, so I sat on the edge and unlocked it. If he was going to leave it around, it was his fault, really.
There were no new drawings since last night, but I went through them anyway. The ones he was working on for the team were mind-blowing, and I knew that everybody would be impressed. Pete was already talking about using them for canvases and other merch.
“How’d you unlock that?” Roman asked, jogging over to me.
“It’s a mystery.” I continued to scroll through the projects until he snatched the tablet. With a huff, I looked up at him. “I’ve seen you type the PIN. You should probably use face ID instead.”
His eyes narrowed. “You memorized my passcode, but you lose your headphones constantly.”
“For your information, they’re on the kitchen island.”
“Yeah, because I put them there earlier.”
“I don’t think that’s true.” After considering it for a second, I clicked my tongue. “Did you?”
He pointed at the steps leading up to the deck. “They were right there.”
“Hm. Well, I was out here while I polished off the first pot of coffee, so that makes sense. I would’ve found them eventually.”
“Not before they got rained on.”
“They’re waterproof.”
With a laugh, he sat down beside me. I took his hand, which made his eyes widen briefly. When he relaxed and held onto me, I rolled my lips inward to hide my smile.
“Dinner is on its way,” I said.
“I don’t even get a say in what we eat?”
“Nah, I’m craving tacos.”
“Again?”
“If we’re gonna be together, you should know that I’m a slut for them.” I realized what I’d said and tried not to completely fall to pieces over it. “Uh, like, if we’re gonna hang around each other...hang out...be...something.”
